Page 110 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

108  WILD SOUTH AFRIC A

Nile Crocodile
Species: Crocodylus niloticus • Best Seen: Kruger,
iSimangaliso, Ndumo
LC
The hide of dark, heavy
Crocodiles have lurked in the lakes and rivers of scales is valued by
Africa for at least 150 million years, and are the commercial poachers to
nearest thing alive to a relict of the Jurassic Era, as make handbags, shoes and
other leather goods.
they are more closely related to dino saurs than
to any living creature. South Africa is home to
the Nile crocodile, Africa’s bulkiest and longest-
lived predator, which grows to a maximum
recorded length of 8 m (26 ft), weighs up to
1,000 kg (2,205 lb) and boasts a lifespan similar to
that of humans. It occurs naturally in freshwater A crocodile can stay
habitats, basking open-mouthed on the sand- submerged in water
banks before it slips, silent and sinister, into the without drawing breath for
water on the approach of a boat. The St Lucia 45–60 minutes.
Estuary in iSimangaliso Wetland Park harbours
the country’s densest popula tion of Nile
crocodiles, but they are also common in
the rivers of the Kruger National Park.
A female lays up to 100 hard-shelled
eggs in a small hole, covers them to protect
them from predators, then returns three
months later to carry the hatchlings to the
water, where she leaves them to fend for
themselves. The Nile crocodile feeds mainly on
fish, but occasion ally drags a mammal as large A Nile crocodile has about 80
as a lion into the water. Several crocodile farms in teeth, which are shed and
South Africa breed these reptiles for their replaced twice annually.
valuable hide, the best-known farm being
located on the outskirts of St Lucia town. Crocodiles make for a primeval sight as they bask on a bank
Tortoise
Family: Testudinidae • Best Seen: Kruger, Addo
Elephant, Pilanesberg
Most Species: Variable
The term tortoise is used to describe
any terrestrial chelonian, an order
of shelled reptiles that also includes
freshwater terrapins and marine turtles.
The most visible species on safari is
the leopard tortoise, which is South
Africa’s largest terrestrial chelonian,
occasionally weighing as much as
40 kg (88 lb). It can be recognized by
the tall, domed, gold-and-black-mottled
shell after which it is named. Often
seen inching along game-reserve roads,
the leopard tortoise has a lifespan of over
50 years and few natural enemies, but
its lack of mobility makes it susceptible
to fast-spreading bush fires. It is also
frequently hunted by local people.
Another dozen spe cies are recognized
in South Africa, all but one of them
endemic to the country. At up to
9 cm (3½ inches) long, the speckled
padloper (literally, “roadwalker”), a
Karoo endemic, is the world’s
Like other reptiles, the leopard tortoise has scaled skin smallest chelonian.
IUCN status CE: Critically Endangered; EN: Endangered; LC: Least Concern

108-109_EW_South_Africa.indd 108 25/05/17 2:45 pm